End of year lists can be great for highlighting stuff you may have missed, and the annual poll from UK film magazine Sight & Sound, one of the first 2013 year-end lists out of the gate, has a number of films included that are worth tracking down. The magazine polls over 100 “international critics, curators and academics,” taking a top-five list from each. The magazine’s list of top films (with some tied for a couple berths) is generated from those votes.

Documentary The Act of Killing, which follows as men responsible for genocidal killings in Indonesia confront and recreate their crimes as film scenes, took first place by a margin of five votes. Gravity and Blue is the Warmest Colour are the second and third place choices.

The full list is below, complete with trailers for each film, so you can be introduced to whatever films on the list are unfamiliar. Read More »

Abdellatif Kechiche‘s Blue Is the Warmest Color drew raves upon raves at Cannes this year, for its tender, intimate portrayal of two young women (Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux) falling in love. But it also raised some eyebrows thanks to its graphic sex scenes.

It’s no surprise, then, that the MPAA has stamped the drama with an NC-17 for its U.S. release. But rather than trim the movie for an R or release it without a rating at all, American distributor Sundance Selects will put Blue Is the Warmest Color in theaters with the restrictive rating intact. Hit the jump to find out why, and to get a peek at the first international trailer.